There was generally a very positive reaction earlier in the week to the announcement that NHRA and Fox Sports had reached a television agreement starting in 2016 and set to run through the 2021 season. NHRA had earlier announced a mutual decision had been reached with ESPN to terminate its current contract a year early.

“This is great news, so very uplifting,” said a team official not authorized to speak publicly about the deal. “The one aspect that has the pit area excited are 16 live telecasts (14 on Fox Sports 1), but more importantly, four on the Fox network.

“It’s very difficult to describe how big that is. The sport needs live television to keep growing.”

However, the excitement is somewhat tempered by lack of answers to many questions. No doubt they will be addressed in the future, but the wish list includes:

•Production: NHRA has revealed it will take this in-house. The hope is that the sanctioning body and Fox will develop a more aggressive approach, as seen in NFL and MLB broadcasts. The NHRA telecasts are essentially the format developed by Diamond P Productions more than 40 years ago.

•Announcers: Drag racing is a specialty sport. Currently, Dave Reiff (play-by-play), Mike Dunn (analysis) and Gary Gerould (pits) do an outstanding job of translating the intricacies of the sport to the public. NHRA fans can recall when an outsider, with no background, was the featured announcer. It just didn’t work.

•Live shows: Both NHRA and Fox should work hard to make the Winternationals the first live show of the season. The Pomona event is the traditional series opener and could bring many new viewers to the sport as it’s generally well-attended and has a big car count. Plus, it has one of the best backgrounds for TV.

•Penalties: In an effort to speed the show, NHRA has penalties for oil downs that kill the pace. Teams are given 75 minutes between rounds, quite a challenge. However, on live TV, the window can be reduced to as few as 50 minutes. The sanctioning body has to be concerned primarily with safety, so it will be a tough call to further reduce time. There has to be a suitable compromise.

Lucas Off-Road

Glen Helen Raceway is the venue for this weekend’s iON Cameras Golden State Off Road Nationals, which will mark the midpoint of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. And as has been the case in its six-year history, there are plenty of competitive classes.

In the previous eight races, there have been 19 different winners in the four pro classes.

The largest points gap is in Pro 4, where Kyle LeDuc, on a seven-race win streak, leads Rob MacCachren by 39 points. Bryce Menzies has four wins in Pro 2, but just a six-point lead over MacCachren, a two-time champ, and 22 more than Jeremy McGrath.

In Pro Buggy, Garrett George leads by 11 points over second-year driver Mike Valentine. Garrett’s cousin Chad, last year’s titlist, is in fourth place. Garrett and Chad are members of the famed George racing family that includes Greg, an off-road pioneer, and the late Gil George, who built the famed Funco chassis.

Seventeen-year-old Jerett Brooks is ahead of the Pro Lite class. A win and third-place finish in the last LOORS event in Utah elevated Brooks, from Alpine, to take this year’s championship lead away from 21-year-old rookie Brad DeBerti, who dropped to third. RJ Anderson, last year’s champion, is two points away from first.

Racing on both nights will start with Junior Karts, 6 p.m. on Saturday and 5:30 on Sunday. Opening ceremonies are set for 7:30, followed by races in Mod Karts and the pros. Tickets are $25 per day, with 12-and-under free.

Pit stops

Agoura Hills’ Trevor Huddleston is the Late Model points leader at Irwindale Speedway, which will host a double feature for the class Saturday night. He’s 26 points ahead of Covina’s Mike Johnson and 27 ahead of Toni McCray from Highland and Blaine Perkins. Also on the card are Super Stocks, Mini-Stocks, Legends and Bandoleros. … Two events this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. There are the fifth and sixth rounds of the NHRA Summit Racing Series on Saturday and Sunday, with racing starting at 8 a.m. Cost is $75 a day for Super Pro; $50 for Pro, Sportsman and Motorcycle; $25 for crew; $20 for high school and $15 for spectators. On Sunday, the Race Against Cancer Event will raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital of Southern California. It’s a combination of car show and multiple runs around the track, with a $180 track fee and $35 for car show. General admission is $10. … It’s PASSCAR Series time Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway with Street Stocks, Super Stocks, IMCA Modifieds, Factory Stocks and CDCRA Dwarf cars also on the card. … The FIA Formula E Series announced this week the second Long Beach ePrix will take place April 2, 2016. “We’re delighted that Formula E has again chosen Long Beach,” said Jim Michaelian, and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “Next year promises to provide even more entertainment value both on and off the track. And the sustainability concepts fit perfectly with the major initiatives that Long Beach has put into effect.” … Ventura Raceway will host the California Lightning Sprint Car Series for the third time Saturday, in addition to the VRA Sprint Cars, Senior Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, Sport Compacts, Focus Midgets, NMRA ¾ Midgets, Junior Midgets and Mini Dwarfs. Racing starts at 5:30 p.m. … Dave DeSpain talks with NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher on MAV TV Sunday at 5:30 p.m. PST.

IndyCar dilemma

Where have we heard this before?

Racer magazine’s Robin Miller: “The people who came … were entertained but the question remains, were there enough of them to keep this race on the Verizon IndyCar schedule in 2016?”

No, he wasn’t writing about the June 27 MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway but last Sunday’s ABC Supply 250 at the Milwaukee Mile. The race drew, by most accounts, 12,000 fans, similar to the 2014 event promoted by Andretti Sports Marketing. Prior to the race, Michael Andretti had been quoted as saying he needed to see marked improvement in paying customers to keep going.

According to Miller, “the starting time (4:40 p.m. locally) and fourth different date in four years is far from ideal but between the state fair, Miller historic car festival and IndyCar’s crammed schedule doesn’t make it easy.”

Lou Brewster is a nationally recognized motorsports journalist who has staffed NASCAR and NHRA events since 1969. Has also staffed high school football, in five different states, since 1967. Has won several national awards in writing and breaking news.

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